After struggling with substance abuse, this Yukon man rose to the top of his trade

Not everyone has the mettle to win a gold medal in sheet metal, but Isaiac Tracey proved he's got what it takes.

And it wasn't an easy road.

This spring, Tracey, 23, competed in Skills Canada: a multi-day, Olympic-style competition that saw more than 500 young people descend on Winnipeg to represent their province or territory and compete in their chosen trade, from plumbing to landscape gardening to cooking.

For Tracey, who's from Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation, it's sheet metal. You can thank sheet metal workers for the ducts that keep you warm and cold, or the siding on metal buildings.

This was his second time competing. His task: build an old-style chuckwagon out of copper.

The first time he was just 19, and finished near the bottom.

"I remember hitting some roadblocks in my competition, and feeling pretty overwhelmed about it and upset," he said.

Tracey's come a long way since then. He's gone to school and gained a lot more work experience, but all the while, he struggled with alcohol abuse.

"It was really hard on my family, and honestly at work, too. I was probably going to get fired. My employers had enough with me," he said.

"Being trapped in your own head and your, like, low self-worth and all that stuff just piled up in my mind."

In February, with encouragement from his family, support from his employer and financial help from his community of Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation, Tracey decided to go to a treatment centre for seven weeks. He's been sober ever since.

And to stay motivated, he thinks of both the best and worst-case scenarios.

"I probably won't be passing my school if I keep drinking, or I'll probably land myself in jail or even worse," he said.

"But also I think of stuff like . . . I want to make my own company, and have my own shop and work under myself."

That mindset helped keep him sober right through to the competition, and gave him the energy and focus to spend two grueling days building his chuckwagon in the middle of a loud and busy convention centre, while judges watch his every move.

At the closing medal ceremony, Tracey stood among hundreds of his fellow tradespeople, eagerly waiting to hear how he did.

When his name was announced as the gold medal winner, he stood up at the top of the podium holding the Yukon flag with a huge smile on his face.

"I'm feeling really good about myself right now," he said.

"It's just a really good accomplishment for me. It pushes me to move toward my dreams."